Russia Resumes Strikes on Kyiv Following Three-Day Pause During US Envoy Visits

Strikes have resumed in Russia and Ukraine after a three-day pause during visits by US envoys to the capitals of both countries. Russia targeted Kyiv, resulting in at least two fatalities and seven injuries, according to the Kyiv city military administration. Two residential buildings were damaged by air raids early on Tuesday, with drones hitting structures in Kyiv as well as in the Boryspil and Fastiv districts, as reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. An air raid alert issued by the Kyiv city military administration advised residents to seek shelter due to the threat of drone attacks. In response to the attacks in Ukraine, Russian regional Governor Roman Busargin reported that a Ukrainian drone attack injured several individuals in Saratov, approximately 1000km (621 miles) from Moscow, although the number of casualties remains unverified. Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a temporary cessation of strikes on each other’s capitals for three days while US envoys were in Moscow and Kyiv, but fighting persisted in other areas. The pause was initiated after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the ceasefire during the envoys' visits over the weekend. Russia’s state news agency TASS confirmed that the suspension ordered by Putin ended on Monday evening local time. The US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, engaged in discussions with officials in both capitals aimed at resolving the conflict. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the meeting in Moscow as 'highly useful.' Following his discussions with Zelenskyy, Witkoff remarked on the meaningful and substantive nature of their talks, expressing encouragement and a commitment to continue negotiations. A White House official indicated that further steps regarding the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, would be announced in the coming weeks.